1. Field
The present patent application generally relates to petroleum production and more particularly to methods and apparatus for preventing, reducing, or removing deposits in petroleum pipes or pumping rods of pumping units.
2. Description of Related Technology
The global oil extraction industry has always been troubled by wax (e.g., alkanes, also known as paraffins) and dirt deposits in oil well pipes. Wax deposit causes erosion and obstruction of the pump rods, while dirt deposit leads to accelerated wear of the pump rods, thereby leading to decreased oil production and even shut down of the production in order to remove the wax with chemicals, which in turn results in chemical pollution of the environment. Serious dirt deposits may even require washing the well with hot water. Moreover, existing mechanical scrapers are both time and labor intensive, and materials and energy consuming, while the results are often less than ideal.
In order to increase oil production, currently existing technologies utilize physical and chemical principles, such as electromagnetic fields and ultrasonic waves, to reduce dirt accumulation by activating easily segregated dirt molecules using corresponding inductors, but the results are generally not satisfactory. For example, Chinese Utility Model Patent No. 99250279.9, titled “An Apparatus for Removing Wax Deposits from Oil Wells,” uses a windlass to place a cable connected to a pulse signal transmitter at the bottom of a well, and transforms the pulse signal into ultrasound using a transducer in order to remove the wax deposits in the well. However, this apparatus can only function if placed inside a crude oil pipe.